SCHOOL leavers are being bombarded with loads of overseas study offers, many of which appear to be the work of scammers, Teruntum assemblyman Sim Chon Siang said.

The Pakatan Harapan state assemblyman said students from his constituency in Pahang were also being targeted with these sweet offers, which also promised employment abroad.

Sim told The Malaysian Insight that he would be lodging a police report soon on these offers, sent via text messages on the various online platforms.

He said Forms 5 and 6 students in his constituency have been receiving study and internship offers in Dubai, the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, with a monthly stipend of RM1,500.

There’s also an offer to work and study, with free pilgrimage to Mecca and Madinah thrown in as sweetener, he said.

He said when he visited a school in his constituency to verify the information he had received that some of the students there had received offers to undergo a diploma course “with direct employment programme”, most of the Form 5 and 6 students he talked to admitted they had.

Sim said he feared another wave of scam was being unleashed.

He said the offers were definitely suspicious and wanted police to look into it.

Sim questioned why companies making the offers are not disclosing their names, if they are conducting a legitimate recruitment exercise.

“They do not even disclose the name of their company.”

What made Sim more suspicious was that the company sending the offers had the correct names of the students.

“I don’t understand how they managed to obtain the students’ name and phone numbers.”

Sim said he will continue to alert students, particularly those who will be leaving school for the job market, of possible scams.

“Most of the students in my constituency are all aware that offers of jobs in Singapore or Dubai could not be trusted.

“But what I am worried about is that the scammers would later switch to other destinations as they continue to look for those who could fall for their tricks.

“There are people who never read the news – even online ones – although they possess a phone.”

He said these are the naive and gullible ones who could fall for the scam.

Parents, he added, need to continue playing a role in their children’s lives as they take the next step into the working world. – February 23, 2023.